Improvement in sewing-machines



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. W. WILLIAMS.

Sewing Machine. No- 34.932. Patented April 8, 1862.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. W. WILLIAMS.

Sewing Machine. No. 34.932. Pafiejnted April $8, 1862.

' 3 Sheets- -Sheet 3. C. W.WILL|A'MS. Sewing Machine.

Patented April'8, 1862 V fnvenibr:

N. Firing PhnlwLitbogngmlr. Washin ton. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

(3. IV. \VILLIAMS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34.932, dated April 8,1862.

T9 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O. W. WILLIAMs, of the city of Boston, in the countyof Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to th e accompan yin gdrawings, which form part of thisspecification, and in which- Figure 1 represents aside vicw of asewingmachine having my improvements applied to it; Fig. 2, an invertedplan of the same; and Fig. 3, a side View of the frontportion in part,illustrative of the cloth feeding and holding devices in positions theopposite of those shown for the same parts in Fig. 1.

Though my invention is here shown applied to that class or character ofsewing-machines in which two needles operating two threads are used, theone part of itwhich relates to the hold and feed of the material beingsewed 'is equally applicable to other machines, whether of thedoubletnread or single-thread order. The feed I employ is of that kindin which a reciprocating toothedsurface, ordevice having such a surfaceat its top, is made to work through a slot in the table, so as to engagewith the cloth from beneath. In such description of feed a foot orpressure pad is usually employed to press on the upper surface of thecloth to secure a tirm engagementof thefeeder below, and to keep thecloth steady and prevent its being drawn back or displaced while thefeeder is making its back-stroke. To prevent the feeder dragging on thecloth when making its hack-stroke it is usual to give to said feeder apeculiar action. This action is of a fourfold character, and involves,first, the movement of the feeder forward to give the necessary feed tothe cloth, then the lowering of the feeder to avoid drag on the clothduring its back-stroke, afterward the back-stroke or return of thefeeder free from contact with or drag on the cloth, and, lastly, therise of the feeder to secure engagement with the cloth for and duringthe next forward stroke of the feeder in its further feed of the cloth,and so on successively at intervals. There are many practical objectionsto such combined horizontal and vertical movements of the feeder, bothas regards securing to the feeder its proper action, and as regards itseffect upon the cloth in being alternately drawn from it and pressed Iup against it. My present 'feeding improvement is free from all suchobjections, as by it I am enabled to use a toothed surface or feederhaving only a reciprocating horizontal motion, and always in contactwith the cloth, and the cloth always held, or grasped on both of itssides.

To explain or illustrate, the portion marked A in the accompanyingdrawings represents the reciprocating feeder, having its top surfacetoothed and arranged to work through and above the upper SUI face of thetable B or plate B, situated therein. The table or table-plate has anordinary slot cut in it for the traverse of the feeder through frombeneath and along the table in the direction itis designed to feed, andwhich is here supposed to be at right angles across the table; but saidtoothed feeder A has only this direct or horizontal motion reciprocatingback and forth, without of necessity being made either to rise or fall,and always moving in contact with the under surface of the cloth. Tosecure that such feeder shall engage with the cloth, so as to feed whenmoving forward, and to prevent its drawing the cloth back with it onreturning or moving backward, as well as to secure the cloth beingconstantly held or supported on both of its sides, I employ, inconnectionwith such direct or horizontal reciprocating feeder, twopressure-feet, which may be made to assume various forms and bevariously operated, but the peculiar novel character of whichisillustrated by thefollowing arrangement of parts. 0 U

are two spring-pressure feet arranged side by.

side, and worked so as to rise and fall alternately to bear or pressupon the cloth upon its top.. The one of these pressers, G, is situatedover the toothed feeder A, and the other foot, G, is arranged to' beover the smooth surface of the table or table-plate B. Thus situated therise and fall or pressure downward on the cloth of these two feet is sotimed as that when the feederA moves forward to effect the feed thepressure-foot 0 immediately over it is pressing down on the cloth, so asto secure the engagement and movement of the material by the feeder; buton and during the back movement of the feeder said foot is raised orrelieved from pressure, and the adjoining f00t,0, made to press down onthe cloth outside the range of the feeder. By such arrangement andalternate action .of pressers the cloth is certain of its forwardmovement or feed, and. is or may be continuously held on both its sidesor surfaces, first by the one pad in connection with the feeder, andthen by the other pad in connection with the table top or plate. To givethe required alternate action to such an arrangement of the pressers asis-here described, [prefer to connect them by their rods or shanks a andb and suitable pivots to a lever, D, hung byajoint or swivel-pin, d, atany given distance from the presser-shanks to the needle-operating beamor lever E. This mode of hanging the pressers not merely insures analternate action for each presser in harmony with each other and theneedle, but by it the pivot of either presser shank or rod a b isalternately made the fulcrum for the rising presser, which necessitates,as it were, continuous pressure by the presser alternately.

The presser shanks or rods may be guided by giving them socket-bearingsin or through the front portion of the frame F, which, portion may alsoserve as a guide for the rod which carries the up-and-down moving needle0.

Any suitable spring arrangement may be adopted to give to the presserstheir downward pressure when not lilted alternately, as above described.Thus coiled springs f f, wound round the pad-shanks and arranged betweenthe pads and the bottom of the socket portion of the frame, may be used.I

To lift the pressers from pressure, when it is required to do so toadjust the cloth, or for any other purpose, a finger-cam, G, may bearranged between the top of the front end of the frame and lever D, sothat on turning said cam in the one direction the pads are lifted fromacting on the cloth, and on turning it in the other direction said padsare liberated to operate asbefore described.

The direct or horizontal reciprocating feeder A may be actuatedintermittently at intervals,

in accordance with the stitch, by a bell-crank, H, attached to thefeeder below the table, and

. operated by a rod, g, moved byan arm, k, that projects from the lowerleg of the upper needle-beam, E, and strikes nuts 1' on the rod gone infront and one in rear of the arm h a slot in the lowerleg'ot' the beam,the crank itself being hung on a driving-shaft, J.

The upper thread, 8, may be supplied to the vertical needle 0 from aspool in the rear, and have its tension regulated and be guided in itscourse in the ordinary or any othersuitable manner.

The looper L is formed of a bar having a notch, m, at its forward end,so that on said bar being moved forward it catches and retains open theloop of the second thread, and in the early part of its retreat likewiseholds open said loop and gradually releases it at the period required.Said looper has an inter mittent reciprocating motion, which may beeffected by a rod, it, actuated by the upper needle-beam in a mannersimilar to that described for the rod operating the feeder, with whichit may work in unison, andboth in harmony with theneedle actuated bysaid beam.

The second needle, 7, having only to penetrate with its thread :0 theloop of the first thread, may be carried by a beam, M,having no otherthan ordinary play on a fulcrum, 0, to give the necessary reciprocatingaction to said horizontal or second needle, andthe beam M of the lattermay be reciprocated intermittently, as required, by a projection, to,from'the lower leg of the upper needle-beam, arranged to work in a slot,o, of the second beam, M, so that both needles are necessitated to workin proper-relationship to eachother.

Having thus fully described my improvements in sewing-machines, what Iclaim as-my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- IV 1. The combination ota feeding-instrument having a reciprocatingmovement in a horizontal plane only with two independent pressers soarranged that one shall press the cloth so as to attach it to thefeeding-instrument and theother shall hold the cloth upon thetable, saidpressers operating alternately, substantially in the manner abovedescribed.

2. Connecting the two pressers with-each other and with the needle-armby a lever or its equivalent, arranged and operating substan-

